The Shadow Knows

Tone mapping has been a well-respected artistic tool at least since Ansel Adam's book "The Print" -- but it required a set of darkroom techniques that were difficult to master. Now tone mapping is possible in-camera using contrast and exposure settings, shadow adjustment, etc. Image editing software on a computer allows even more complex transformations: HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing, levels adjustments, retinex, dodge/burn, etc. The challenge here is to use tone mapping to make a photograph express your artistic vision rather than what the camera literally saw.

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Announced:

Thursday, 18th June, 2009 (GMT)

Submissions:

Thursday, 25th June, 2009 –
Wednesday, 1st July, 2009
(GMT)

Voting:

Thursday, 2nd July, 2009 –
Wednesday, 8th July, 2009
(GMT)

Processing rules:

Tone mapping (something more than "auto levels") must have been applied to the captured image either in-camera or as a post-processing step.

HDR compositing or stacking images of the same scene to improve tonal quality is not required, but is welcome.

Capture date rules:

No restrictions.

Additional rules:

Mention how and why you mapped the tones or submit an image that contains the original and re-mapped versions. Images that neither describe nor show the transformation will be disqualified.

Multiple submissions by the same person must be of significantly different subjects.

Here's an example of how you can show the transformation with before/after within one image.
Between dirt on the plane window and atmospheric haze, color and contrast were gone. The transformation processing was done in GIMP: decompose to LAB, unsharp mask L, compose (improve sharpness); duplicate; uniform retinex and apply as soft light layer (restore colors); flatten; curves (fix tones); and finally GREYCstoration (noise reduction).

After the tone mapping, the image was put side-by-side with the original, scaled, and re-compressed using GIMP.

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